Aragonès and Sánchez try out the thaw in an event in Barcelona with mutual appeals to dialogue

BarcelonaThe president of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonès, and the president of the Spanish government, Pedro Sánchez, called on each other on Friday to open a new stage of dialogue between the Generalitat and the State. The first course will be a meeting this month in Madrid, whose date is yet to be fixed. This Monday, however, they had a taster in Barcelona. The presidents have coincided in an event organised by business association Foment del Treball, the first that they have shared since Aragonès took possession. Neither of the two has avoided talking about the new attempt at a thaw between governments that they will promote in the coming weeks in an attempt to find, finally, a solution to the political conflict. "Now is the time to return to the path of dialogue and negotiation. It will not be easy," proclaimed Aragonès. Sánchez took up the gauntlet: "Let's leave behind the sterile dialectic and look for a new us together".

The contact between the two presidents has been brief. Sources in the know explain that a few moments before the event, the presidents greeted each other with a fist bump. A few minutes later they repeated the greeting in front of the cameras. But although this time the contact has not gone further, both have had the opportunity to make a speech to the audience and, with businessmen as witness, ended up talking to each other through the microphones provided at the event.

Due to protocol, the first to speak has been the Catalan president. He wanted to emphasise that it was the "first event" in which he coincided with the Spanish president since he had taken office two weeks ago. On the one hand, Aragonès lamented the existence of political prisoners and exiles and that Catalonia "cannot decide its future," and proposed amnesty and self-determination as solutions to the conflict. On the other hand, however, he offered a conciliatory speech in which he said that both the proposals of the Generalitat and those of the State to resolve the political conflict must deserve the same "respect and consideration". "We need a new stage and bring solutions to the table. We have to overcome the deadlock and move forward again," he said. He has even acknowledged "steps" taken by the Spanish government in relation to the conflict, in reference to the creation of the dialogue table, which Aragonès wants to reactivate soon.

"Dear Pere"

Sánchez has also made it clear from the beginning that today was a day for good intentions; he even referred to Aragonès as "Dear Pere". In his intervention he has been more ambiguous about how he intends to face the dialogue with the Generalitat, but his appeals have also been for "concord". "We remain generous in our efforts. Some and others," he said. For Sánchez, there has been a conflict in Catalonia that has only brought "pain, poverty and stagnation" and he agreed that a new stage must be opened. If the Generalitat will propose amnesty and self-determination as a solution to the conflict, what is the Spanish government thinking? "We are changing threats for proposals. We are not seeking revenge but solutions," Sánchez said.

Foment del Treball's event was the setting for the first photo of Aragonès and Sánchez since the leadership of the Generalitat changed from JxCat to ERC. It was also the stage for the two governments to call for the resumption the path of dialogue that began on February 26, 2020 - with the first meeting of the table of dialogue - but that was immediately broken off. Listening to the two presidents, the big question remains what could be the common denominator between the two executives to reach some kind of agreement.

Businessmen, in favour of dialogue

In the meantime, Foment del Treball has shown its support to the thaw. Its president, Josep Sánchez Llibre, has been in charge of making it clear: "Presidents Sánchez and Aragonès, do not tire of dialogue, because Catalonia and Spain need it". Why this enthusiastic support? Because from this dialogue Foment del Treball expects "economic stability and legal certainty", which it denounces the Independence bid has not brought them, despite the fact that this Monday was a day of celebration and no explicit criticism was made. "It is a very powerful message of political normality and tranquility", concluded Sánchez Llibre on the presence of the two presidents in this event, in which editor-in-chief of La Vanguardia Javier Godó was given an award for his career.

However, Foment not only wants political peace between governments for its own sake, but because it also claims in is necessary to further two projects which require the collaboration between the State and the Generalitat. The first, according to Sánchez Llibre, is to make it possible for Catalonia and Aragon to host the 2030 Winter Olympic Games. The second is to make the project to expand El Prat airport a reality. Neither of the two generate consensus in Catalonia and promise to be the center of more than one controversy.